Education lacks for young children especially for girls in Pakistan, the country has the second highest number of children not having the opportunity for an education. On July twelfth, 1997, Malala Yousafzai was born in Mingora, a city in Swat Valley Pakistan. As young girl she would make her way into classes and pretend as if she was the teacher.

Her father an activist for education in Pakistan and battling against the Taliban’s decision for education against girls. Both Malala and her father Ziauddin Yousafzai shared a passion for education and a love for learning. [01]

Something always changes at one point, in Swat Valley that change ended up being the Taliban in 2007. The Taliban became the principal sociopolitical force in all of northwest Pakistan. Girls lost their opportunity for an education, residents lost their modern culture, and everyone was under control.

By 2008 an estimate of five hundred schools have been destroyed by the Taliban.

Malala and her father questioned the Taliban. Malala carried a strong passion for education and she knew she had a right to learn and a right to go to school.

“”I am afraid” is the title of her first BBC diary entry. She blogged anonymously on the Urdu language site of BBC. Her blog consisted of stories of her life, her fears, and her dream to go to school. Malala and her friends talked about the anxiety they felt from ‘’students dropping away from class for fear of being targeted by militants’’.

“It was on the fifth of May, in 2009 when Malala fled her home for the first time in fear of the Taliban and her safety. Remaining passionate in the cause of education for all, upon her return she continued her campaign for equality of free education for girls. It may have taken over three years, ultimately their voices were heard and accepted all over Pakistan – except for the Taliban. In reward for her hard work of advocacy for education she won Pakistan’s “National Youth Peace Prize.” [02]

Malala was attacked and shot in 2012 on a school bus in the Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan by masked gunmen as a punishment for a blog that she started writing for the BBC. She suffered a shot in the head, two of her school friends ended up injured as well.

She underwent several surgeries, luckily she did not suffer from any permanent brain damage. She spent many weeks in recovery, and in March 2013, Malala attended school in Birmingham. The Taliban’s defense as to why they assaulted her was ‘’promoting secular education.’’ [03]

The youngest person ever to win a Nobel Peace Prize for their amazing work and activism, Malala mentioned that she was “humbled and proud to be the first Pashtun and the first Pakistani to win the prize.”

Malala’s campaign for education is worldwide, ‘’A fund set up in her name helps children in education around the world’’ [04]

If you wish to learn more, or donate to the Malala Fund, please visit their website.

Read about Malala’s petition for Canadian government to Support Syrian Children’s Rights to Education in our Petitions section.

Watch her film He Named Me Malala in our Documentaries section.

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Keemia is a fourteen-year-old student, and she has successfully completed her internship with honours at the Alistair Reign News Blog. Keemia is an inspiring young lady, she enjoys debating, music and reading; she is multilingual in English, French and Farsi. Keemia’s aspirations include, “vocalizing the problems Muslims face day to day, and talk about the racism in this world. My legacy will be to be a platform for young women whether they be Iranian, Muslim or Middle Eastern girls and I dream to help them rise above obstacles in this world. I want to use my writing to inspire, to motivate and to educate through my writing.” As a youth reporter she will be covering humanitarian news, events and other topics surrounding child rights and youth empowerment.